Lap handling apparatus



Feb. 6, 1945. F. 1. CROCKETT 2,368,971

LAP HANDLING APPARATUS I Uriginal Filed Oct. 2, 1940 ZSheets-Sheet l Feb. 6, 1945. F. L. CROCKETT LAP HANDLING APPARATUS Original Filed Oct. 2, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 6, 1945 22368371 LA P HAN DLING Ai PAh iiUs Frank --L. Grockett, Tenants Harbor, Maine, assignor to Whitin -Machine Works, Whitins- Ville, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts original aptiicauon "October '2, {1910, "Serial no. 359,385, new Patent No. "2,353,812, dated "July 18, 1944. Divided and this application August 1-3, 1942, Serial N 0. 454,746

This invention relates to lap handling rollers, specifically rollers of textile machines for hall-n dling or unwinding cotton -'laps wherein "it is i-m portant to maintain neatselvages.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in connection with the lap deliveryrolle'r used in the 'creels of cotton 'combers wherein neat selvages 'are of particular consequence to subsequent operations "and this application is a division of my copending application, Serial 'No. 359,385, filed October 2, 1940, now Patent No. 2,353,812, issued July 18, 1944, which discloses a comber utilizing this invention and to which reference can be made as necessary.

In the drawings 'Fig. -1 is a vertical cross=sec= tion of a combing head showing the creel-roller and selvage guides; Fig. 2 is "arpla'nview thereof; Fig. 3 a perspective view of a portion of the lapholding roller; and 4 9, front view of Fig. 3.

The dotted circle at the top of Fig. 1 represents a roll of cotton lap to be combed, although the principles of the invention, as will be understood, are not limited to combing machines. This roll is supported on tWo creel-rollers 2 and 3 which are appropriatel driven so as to unwind the lap and deliver it over the lap plate 4 to the nipper feed roll 5 carried on the nipper frame. The creel-rollers are carried respectively on through shafts 6 and 1, and preferably driven step-by-step from the drive-head.

The roll of lap resting on the creel-rollers 2 and 3 is centered endwise thereon by two large round buttons 45, each resembling a mushroom, which are set in fixed positions at the level of the tops of the creel-rollers so that they engage onl the bottom part of the roll of lap. Due to this location and the shape of these mushroom guide buttons, a roll of lap can be placed in a combing head with the minimum. risk of mussing the lap edges in the process. As herein shown, these guides 45 are mounted in extended parts of the nipper spring housing 4| so that they; project inwardly from the frame uprights and do not therefore require a special creel beam for their support, and they have their horizontal stems or shanks threaded so that they are ad- J'ustable in and out in accommodation to the roll by simply rotating them on their axis to the precise position required.

The lap unwinding from the roll is first carried forwardly upon the top surface, of the front roller 2 and then immediately passes between the smooth downwardly and inwardly sloped surfaces of two selvage guides 46 which are spaced apart the width of the lap and so related to the roller as to begin their edge-guiding ;or, shaping function exactly as the lap leaves the roll and form no cracks or revices-between themselves and the roller into which the fibers are likely to enter or by which they canbepaught. This novel efiectis accomplished in the present case by making the selvage guide 46 in the -form of1a fiat or plate-like fixture, semi-circularly notched onits bottom edge to fit in anannular g-roove 41 formed in the creel-roller near its end rest ing on the reduced diameter or botto 'n of the groove withits upper edge flush with the top of the roller. Thus straddlingtheroller, it is main tained fixed against rocking and in a horizontal position by means ofits-rearward tail ancla cross pin 48 therein which bears upwardly against any convenient support such a the bottom of 1 the mushroom-guide-button 45, while its forward end projects tangentially -an 1;radially from the surface of the roller as the fiber-guiding or selvageforming surface. It is to be noted that this method of mounting the selvage guide involves holding it in virtual contact with the creelroller itself, more especially in contact though not a pressure contact, with a transverse wall of the roller represented, in the present case by' the inner wall of the groove 41 and, further, that inasmuch as the top surface of the guide is flush with the top urface of the roller, its selvageforming action begins to take effect immediately as the layer of lap separates from the body of the roll and while it is resting on the front face of the roller, thus producing an exceptionally even selvage which is of great importance to the efficiency of succeeding operations. By adjustment of the mushroom guide-button the lap is centered on rollers 2 and 3 so that both selvages receive the same treatment.

The selvage guides also support the lap plate 4 being provided with inwardly projecting studs 49 for this purpose, located in and projecting from undercut recesses formed in the ends of the guides. The lap plate is provided with appropriate attachment for hooking onto the studs, and by virtue of the undercut recesses, such plate can be wider than the distance between the guides which guards against the lap spilling over the edges of the lap plate as it passes downwardly to the lap feed roll.

At its lower end the lap plate is supported by the nipper frame by means of it forked brack ets which fit over the pins 50 fixed in the nipper side walls, .sO that the plate oscillates on the studs 49 as the nippers swing. The lap plate as well as the selvage guides can be instantly rereferences I3, GI, 64, 65, 66, 61, 69, 10, I6 and TI; the nipper system represented by the refer V ences 8, 9, 25, 26, 21, 28, 29, 30, 35, 31, 38, t0, and 42; the detaching system represented by II, I2, 12a, I4, l5, I511, 13, I4, 15, 18, 19 82, 83, 84 85, 81, 88, 89, H3, H4, I20, I2l, I25 and I26; the drive-head system represented by I0, 34, 91, 98, I and I06; the creel-drive system represented by I08, I09, H0 and I21; the scavenger system 2|, 22 and 23 and the delivery system represented by l6, l1, I8, I9, 20, 90, 90a, 9|, 92, 93, 94, 95, 9B and H311.

I claim:

'1. In a textile machine having a lap-supporting roller, a fixed selvage guide applied in close relation to the end portion of the roller, flush with the top surface thereof and having a sloped lapengaging surface extending from said top surface downwardly adjacent th upper front face of the roller.

2. In a textile machine, means for unwinding a roll of lap comprising a pair of rollers, selvage guides applied to one of said rollers in positions to engage the edges of the lap on the downwardlymoving face thereof and r011 positioning members, having horizontal threaded stems, engaging the ends of the roll of lap for adjusting the same in relation to said selvage guides.

3. In a textile machine, means for unwinding a roll of lap comprising a pair of rollers, selvage guides for the lap leaving said roll, and mushroom-shaped guide buttons, having horizontal threaded stems, located at the ends of the roll to adjust the position thereof on said rollers with reference to said selvage guides.

4. In a textile machine having a lap-supporting roller, a fixed selvage guide applied in close relation to the end portion of the roller and having a surface for engaging the edge of the lap, beginning at the top of the roller and extending thence downwardly and radially outwardly alongside the upper front face of the roller, and a lapplate engaged with the free end of such guide.

5; In a machine for handling a lap of textile fiber, a lap roller formed with transverse surfaces at the ends of its lap-supporting surface and having fixed members mounted respectively in contact with said transverse surfaces, said members having sloped portions projecting horizontally from the upper front face of the lap roller constituting selvage guides [for the edges of the lap.

6. In a textile machine for handling lap, a roller for supporting a lap roll, a fixed selvage guide applied in close relation to such roller at the end of the lap-contacting surface thereof, said guide having a sloped guiding surface be- -ginning at the top of the roller and extending thence downwardly for engaging the edge of the lap on the front face of the roller. 9

'7. In a machinefor handling a lap of textile fiber, a roller adapted to support the roll of lap, said roller being circumferentially recessed at the ends of its lap-contacting surface, selvage guides fitted within the recesses so as to be held thereby close to said lap-contacting surface and having theirsole support on said roller and abutment means to prevent the guides f-rom partaking of the rollers motion.

FRANK L. CROCKETT. 

